Apparatus for integrated circuit packaging

ABSTRACT

Apparatuses are disclosed, such as those involving integrated circuit packaging. In one embodiment, a chip package includes: an encapsulation having a top surface and a bottom surface facing away from the top surface. The package further includes a leadframe including a plurality of leads. Each of the leads includes an exposed portion exposed through one of edges of the bottom surface of the encapsulation. The exposed portion has a length. At least one of exposed portions positioned along one of the edges of the bottom surface of the encapsulation has a length different from other exposed portions along the edge. The package can also include a dummy pad exposed through a corner of the bottom surface. The configuration can enhance solder joint reliability of the package when the package is attached to a printed circuit board.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/851,288, filed on Aug. 5, 2010, entitled “APPARATUS FOR INTEGRATEDCIRCUIT PACKAGING,” which claims the priority benefit under 35 U.S.C.§119(e) of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/363,579, filed onJul. 12, 2010, the disclosure of each of which is incorporated herein byreference in their entirety and for all purposes.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

Embodiments of the invention relate to electronic devices, and moreparticularly, to integrated circuit packaging.

2. Description of the Related Technology

The semiconductor industry has developed a variety of integratedcircuits (ICs) that have different packaging requirements. Packageattributes that are considered when choosing a package type for aparticular semiconductor device include, but are not limited to: size,lead count, power and heat dissipation, field operating conditions, andcost.

IC packages are often designed to be attached to a printed circuit board(PCB) or similar interface for larger devices, using solder jointsbetween the IC package and contact pads on the substrate. Such solderjoints can experience various thermal and/or mechanical stresses duringoperation and/or handling. Such stresses may reduce the life of an ICinside the package, and ultimately, the life of an electronic devicethat includes the IC. Therefore, there is a need for providing ICpackage designs that can effectively resist such stresses.

SUMMARY

In one embodiment, a die package includes: an encapsulation having a topsurface and a bottom surface. The bottom surface faces away from the topsurface, and has a plurality of edges. The package further includes adie embedded in the encapsulation; and a leadframe including a pluralityof leads. Each of the leads includes an exposed portion exposed throughone of the edges of the bottom surface of the encapsulation. The exposedportion has a length. At least one of exposed portions positioned alongone of the edges of the bottom surface of the encapsulation has a lengthdifferent from lengths of other exposed portions along the edge.

In another embodiment, an electronic device includes: a printed circuitboard (PCB) comprising conductive lands formed thereon; and a chippackage comprising: an encapsulation having a top surface and a bottomsurface, the bottom surface facing away from the top surface and havinga plurality of edges; a die embedded in the encapsulation; and aleadframe comprising a plurality of leads, each of the leads includingan exposed portion exposed through one of the edges of the bottomsurface of the encapsulation, the exposed portion having a length. Atleast one of exposed portions positioned along one of the edges of thebottom surface of the encapsulation has a length different from otherexposed portions along the edge. The device further includes solderjoints contacting and interposed between the lands and the exposedportions of the leads.

In yet another embodiment, a lead frame for a die package includes: aplurality of leads, each of which has a first end and a second end,wherein the first ends of the plurality of leads are aligned with oneanother. Each of the leads includes a first portion extending from thefirst end of the lead, and a second portion extending from part of thefirst portion to the second end of the lead, the first portion having afirst thickness, the second portion having a second thickness thinnerthan the first thickness. At least one of the first portions of theleads has a length different from the lengths of the first portions ofthe other leads.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a cross-section of a conventional quad flat no lead (QFN)package with a paddle-down configuration.

FIG. 2A is a cross-section of a conventional QFN package with apaddle-up configuration and a cold plate.

FIG. 2B is a top plan view of the QFN package of FIG. 2A.

FIG. 2C is a bottom plan view of the QFN package of FIG. 2A.

FIG. 2D is a cross-section of a portion of the QFN package of FIG. 2Aattached to a printed circuit board, which illustrates a solder jointhaving cracks resulting from stresses.

FIG. 3A is a cross-section of a QFN package with a paddle-upconfiguration according to one embodiment.

FIG. 3B is a bottom plan view of the QFN package of FIG. 3A.

FIG. 3C is a top plan view of the QFN package of FIG. 3A.

FIG. 3D illustrates a partially fabricated lead frame structure and adie to form the QFN package of FIG. 3A.

FIG. 4A is a bottom plan view of a QFN package with a paddle-upconfiguration having corner dummy pads according to another embodiment.

FIG. 4B is a cross-section of a portion of the QFN package of FIG. 4A,taken along the line 4B-4B.

FIG. 5 is a bottom plan view of a QFN package with a paddle-downconfiguration having corner dummy pads according to another embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a cross-section of a hidden paddle lead frame chip scalepackage (LFCSP) with a paddle-down configuration according to anotherembodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

The following detailed description of certain embodiments presentsvarious descriptions of specific embodiments of the invention. However,the invention can be embodied in a multitude of different ways asdefined and covered by the claims. In this description, reference ismade to the drawings where like reference numerals indicate identical orfunctionally similar elements.

Overview of Quad Flat No Leads Packages

An integrated circuit (IC) package is designed to both protect an IC(also known as a “die” or “chip”) and to facilitate electricalconnection to larger electronic devices. An IC package typicallyincludes an encapsulant, a die embedded in the encapsulant, and asubstrate with leads, such as a lead frame at least partially embeddedin the encapsulant. A lead frame can include a die paddle, to which thedie is attached, and leads, which serve as the means for externalelectrical connection to external circuitry. The die is connected to theleads by wires through wirebonding or by tape automated bonds.

A Quad Flat No Leads (QFN) package is a relatively small, typicallyrectangular surface-mount plastic package. A QFN package typicallyincludes a planar lead frame having leads that are typically flush withencapsulant at the bottom of the package. The leads can have noprotrusions (saw-singulated) or very small protrusions (punched) fromthe sides of the package. Thus, a QFN package is often referred to asbeing “leadless” because the leads become contacts at the packagesurface, rather than protrusions.

A QFN package thus includes contacts or exposed portions of leads(alternatively, referred to as “external leads”) around the periphery ofthe bottom of the QFN package that serve as electrical connection pointsto an external device, for example, via a printed circuit board (PCB).Because the QFN has substantially no leads protruding from its sides,and has shorter bond wire lengths, it exhibits less inductance thanpackages with protruding leads, and therefore provides a higherelectrical performance. A QFN package can also be referred to as a“micro leadframe package.”

A QFN package can be formed by individually or collectivelyencapsulating an array of chips on a leadframe, and then punching orsawing the encapsulated chips to be singulated. An inverted QFN packagecan include an exposed thermal paddle (or thermal pad), on the side ofthe package opposite the leads, to improve heat dissipation from thepackage.

Referring to FIG. 1, one example of a conventional QFN package with apaddle-down configuration is shown. The illustrated QFN package 100includes an encapsulation 110, a die 120, bond wires 125, an adhesive130, a thermal paddle 140 a, and a lead frame 150. The term “thermalpaddle” can also be referred to as a thermal pad, heat paddle, or heatpad. The package 100 is shown attached to a printed circuit board (PCB)180 using solder joints 160, 162.

The encapsulation 110 serves to encapsulate the die 120, the bond wires125, and the adhesive 130 while exposing portions of the thermal paddle140 a and the lead frame 150. The encapsulation 110 can be formed of,for example, mold compound, such as epoxy.

The die 120 (or an integrated circuit or chip) is often formed on asemiconductor (e.g., silicon) substrate. The die 120 can include one ormore integrated circuits (ICs) having any functionality. The IC(s) ofthe die 120 are electrically coupled to the lead frame 150, e.g., by thebond wires 125. The bond wires 125 can be formed of, for example,aluminum, copper, gold, or an alloy of one or more of the foregoingmaterials. The die 120 is physically attached to a top portion of thethermal paddle 140 a, using the adhesive 130. The adhesive 130 can be athermally conductive material that can effectively transfer heat fromthe die 120 to the thermal paddle 140 a.

The thermal paddle 140 a supports the die 120 and can also serve todissipate heat from the die 120 to outside the QFN package 100. Thethermal paddle 140 a can be formed of a material with a high thermalconductance, for example, a metal. In the illustrated QFN package 100with a paddle-down configuration, a bottom portion of the thermal paddle140 a is exposed through the bottom of the package 100, although somepackaging arrangements allow for a thin layer of encapsulant across thebottom of the paddle. When exposed, as shown, the bottom portion of thethermal paddle 140 a can be attached to the PCB 180, using the solderjoint 162.

The lead frame 150 provides electrical connection between the circuitryof the die 120 and the PCB 180. The lead frame 150 can include aplurality of separate leads, portions of which are exposed through theperipheries of the bottom of the package 100. The exposed portions ofthe leads are attached to contact pads of the PCB 180, using the solderjoints 160.

Referring to FIG. 2A, another example of a conventional QFN package witha paddle-up configuration will be described below. A QFN package with apaddle-up configuration may also be referred to as an “inverted QFNpackage.”

The illustrated QFN package 200 includes an encapsulation 110, a die120, bond wires 125, an adhesive 130, a thermal paddle 140 b, and a leadframe 150. Details of the encapsulation 110, the die 120, the bond wires125, the adhesive 130, and the lead frame 150 can be as described abovewith respect to those of the package 100 of FIG. 1.

In contrast to the thermal paddle 140 a of FIG. 1, the thermal paddle140 b of FIG. 2A is positioned above the die 120. A top surface of thethermal paddle 140 b is exposed through the top surface of the package200, and is configured to contact a heat sink or cold plate 190 for heatdissipation. A bottom portion of the thermal paddle 140 b is attached tothe die 120 using the adhesive 130. Other details of the thermal paddle140 b can be as described above in connection with the thermal paddle140 a of FIG. 1.

A top plan view of the package 200 with the thermal paddle 140 b exposedthrough the top surface of the encapsulation 110 is shown in FIG. 2B. Asshown in FIG. 2B, the corners of the illustrated package 200 arechamfered. However, in other embodiments, the package 200 may include nochamfered corners.

Referring now to FIG. 2C, the configuration of the leads of the package200 will be described below. FIG. 2C is a bottom plan view of thepackage 200 with a paddle-down configuration. Thus, the bottom of thepackage 200 has exposed portions 152 of leads, but not a thermal paddle.The exposed portions 152 are aligned along the four edges of the bottomof the package 200, in the illustrated embodiment along all four sides.The exposed portions 152 extend substantially parallel to one anotherand substantially perpendicular to the edge of the package 200 fromwhich it extends. Each of the exposed portions 152 has a length L whichis defined as a longitudinal dimension. The length L extendssubstantially perpendicular to the edge of the package to which it isclosest.

As shown in FIG. 2C, all the exposed portions 152 along the four edgeshave substantially the same length as one another. This configurationhas been adopted for a certain standard design for QFN, such as theJoint Electron Devices Engineering Council (JEDEC) standard. Under theJEDEC standard, all the leads of a QFN package have leads having exposedportions of the same length of about 0.4 mm to about 0.5 mm.

In the QFN packages shown in FIGS. 1 and 2A, the solder joints 160, 162can experience mechanical and/or thermal stresses which can cause cracksin the joints 160, 162. Further, the QFN package 200 with the paddle-upconfiguration of FIG. 2A is fixed to the PCB 180, using only the solderjoint 160. In other words, the QFN package 200 does not have any othersolder joint between the central portion of the bottom of the package200 and the PCB 180. Thus, the solder joint 160 of the QFN package 200can experience even more mechanical and/or thermal stresses than thesolder joint 160 of the QFN package 100, which can share some stresseswith the solder joint 162. FIG. 2D illustrates a portion of the invertedQFN package 200 that is fixed to a pad 182 of the PCB, using the solderjoint 160 having cracks 165 resulting from such stresses. Such cracksmay cause the IC to fail, which can be referred to as “fatigue failure.”

As described above, mechanical and/or thermal stresses can reduce thesolder joint reliability of a package and ultimately the life of thepackage. Yet, QFN packages, like any other IC packages, can avail oflimited modifications to their original design because an electronicdevice (or its PCB or other interface substrate design) that includesthe QFN packages may also need to be modified if the QFN package designis modified. Thus, there is a need for providing a solution forimproving the solder joint reliability of QFN packages while minimallymodifying the original design of the packages.

QFN Package with Variable Length Leads

The inventor of the present invention recognized that the lengths ofexposed portions of leads of a QFN package can have a substantial impacton the solder joint reliability among other design factors. The longerthe exposed portion of a lead length is, the greater the area of thesolder contact with the lead is, and thus the greater the solder jointreliability is. Particularly, the lengths of exposed portions of leadscan be even more significant for a QFN package with a paddle-upconfiguration. However, for more efficient space utilization andcompatibility issues, industry standards have avoided variation of leadlength.

In one embodiment, a QFN package includes leads having portions exposedthrough a bottom surface thereof. The exposed portions of the leads canhave different lengths. The exposed portions can be extended to amaximum length, based on the location in the package, to the extent thatthe extended length does not interfere with internal wire bonding.

In some embodiments, the exposed portions of the leads can be groupedinto two or more groups such that all exposed portions in each grouphave the same length while those in a group have a different length fromthose in another group. In one embodiment, a first group in the middlealong an edge of the bottom of the package can have the longest exposedportions while a second group along the edge near a corner of the bottomof the package can have the shortest exposed portions. A third groupbetween the two groups can have exposed portions having an intermediatelength, shorter than that of the first group and longer than that of thesecond group. This configuration can increase contact areas betweensolder joints and the exposed portions, thereby enhancing solder jointreliability.

In another embodiment, the groups are symmetrically arranged on eachedge of the bottom of the package to avoid imbalance stress. In such anembodiment, a plurality of edges of the bottom surface of theencapsulation can have the same pattern of exposed portions as oneanother.

In yet another embodiment, a printed circuit board (PCB) to which thepackage is soldered can have conductive lands having lengthscorresponding to or proportional to the lengths of the exposed portions.In yet another embodiment, the package can have dummy pads at thecorners of the bottom thereof.

In some embodiments, a lead frame can be provided for use in a QFNpackage. In certain embodiments, multiple lead frames can be provided asan array or network. Before encapsulation, the lead frame can include anouter frame having a plurality of strips that define an inner spacesurrounded by the strips. The lead frame can also include a plurality ofleads extending from one of the strips inside the inner space, and tiebars extending from corners where two of the strips meet. Afterencapsulation, the strips can be removed, leaving the leads in thesingulated package. A skilled artisan will appreciate that such aconfiguration is well-known in the art. In one embodiment, each of theleads can include a first portion extending from the strip, and a secondportion extending from the first portion such that the first portion isinterposed between the second portion and the strip. The first portion(which can form an exposed portion of a lead after encapsulation, aswill be described below in detail) has a first thickness, and the secondportion (which can form an internal portion of the lead afterencapsulation, as will be described below in detail) has a secondthickness thinner than the first thickness. At least one of the firstportions of the leads positioned along the strip can have a lengthdifferent from the lengths of the first portions of the other leadsalong the strip. A pattern formed by the lengths of the first portionscan correspond to the pattern formed by the exposed portions of the QFNpackage described above.

The configurations in the above embodiments can enhance solder jointreliability with minimal modifications to the package design andmanufacturing techniques. Further, the configurations do not require asignificant design change to a PCB to which the package is attached.

Referring to FIGS. 3A-3D, one embodiment of a QFN package with variablelength leads will be described below. The illustrate QFN package 300 hasa paddle-up configuration, and includes an encapsulation 110, a die 120,bond wires 125, an adhesive 130, a thermal paddle 140 b, and a leadframe 350. Details of the encapsulation 110, the die 120, the bond wires125, the adhesive 130, and the thermal paddle 140 b can be as describedabove with respect to those of the package 200 of FIG. 2A.

The lead frame 350 includes a plurality of separate leads, each of whichincludes an exposed portion 352 (which are exposed through theperipheries of the bottom of the package 300) and an internal portion354 (which are embedded in the encapsulation 110). As is known in theart, the internal portion can be formed, e.g., by half-etching a maskedlead frame, and the resulting overhang aids lead retention within thepackage encapsulation 110 despite exposure of the lead bottoms and sideedges. Other reentrant profiles for forming internal leads can also beemployed, as long as some portion of the lead can be embedded within theencapsulant while other portion(s) are exposed at the bottom. In thecontext of this document, the exposed portion 352 can also be referredto as an “external lead.” Further, the internal portion 354 can also bereferred to as an “internal lead.”

The exposed portion 352 of each of the leads is thicker than theinternal portion 354, as shown in FIG. 3A. The internal portion 354 canhave a thickness of about a half of the thickness of the exposed portionby being etched during manufacturing. The exposed portions 352 of theleads are attached to solder to be fixed to a PCB (not shown) or otherelectrical interface for larger electronic devices. The exposed portion352 of each of the leads has a length L (FIG. 3A) which is defined as alongitudinal dimension between one end 356 a at the outer side of thepackage 300 and the other end 356 b at the inner side of the package300, bordering on the reentrant profile that forms the internal leads354.

FIG. 3B is a bottom plan view of the package 300. As shown in FIG. 3B,the exposed portions 352 of the leads are grouped to have differentlengths L1, L2, L3. In the illustrated embodiment, there are threegroups 352 a, 352 b, 352 c of the exposed portions of the leads. Theexposed portions of leads in a first group 352 a are positioned in themiddle along an edge of the bottom of the package 300, and have a firstlength L1. The first length L1 can be, for example, between about 0.6 mmand about 1.2 mm, for example, about 0.825 mm.

The exposed portions of leads in a second group 352 b are grouped intotwo second sub-groups 352 b 1, 352 b 2 that interpose the first group352 a therebetween along the edge. The exposed portions of the leads inthe second group 352 b can have a second length L2 that is shorter thanthe first length L1. The second length L2 can be, for example, betweenabout 0.5 mm and about 1.0 mm, for example, about 0.6 mm.

The exposed portions of leads in a third group 352 c are grouped intotwo third sub-groups 352 c 1, 352 c 2 at the outer sides along the edgesuch that each of the second sub-groups 352 b 1, 352 b 2 is interposedbetween the first group 352 a and a respective one of the thirdsub-groups 352 c 1, 352 c 2. The exposed portions of the leads in thethird group 352 c can have a third length L3 that is shorter than thesecond length L2. The third length L3 can be, for example, between about0.4 mm and about 0.5 mm, for example, about 0.5 mm.

In the illustrated embodiment, the first group 352 a, the second group352 b, and the third group 352 c have 9 leads, 4 leads, and 8 leads,respectively. However, a skilled artisan will appreciate that the numberof leads in each of the groups 352 a-352 c and the total number of leadscan vary widely, depending on the application. Other details of the leadframe 350 can be as described above with respect to the lead frame 150of FIG. 2C.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3B, the exposed portions of the leads oneach of the four edges are grouped to have different lengths. In otherembodiments, one or more, but less than all, of the four edges areprovided with such groups of leads having different lengths, while atleast one of the four edges is provided with leads having exposedportions of the same lengths.

In another embodiment, all the exposed portions of leads 352 at thebottom of the package 300 have different lengths from one anotherwithout forming such groups described above. In such an embodiment, anexposed portion closer to a corner of the bottom (where two edges meet)can be shorter than another exposed portion closer to the middle of anedge of the bottom. Longer leads can alternate with shorter leads nearthe middle of the edge, or the leads can continually increase toward apeak at the middle.

In certain embodiments, the PCB, onto which the package 300 is attached,can have lands for physical and electrical connection between the PCBand the package 300. Such lands can have different lengths correspondingto the different lengths of the leads of the package 300 so as tofurther enhance contact area and solder joint reliability.

FIG. 3C is a top plane view of the QFN package 300. Similar to FIG. 2B,the QFN package 300 has a thermal paddle 140 b exposed through the topsurface of the package 300. The QFN package 300 can also include tiebars 365 (denoted with dotted lines) below the top surface inside theencapsulation 110. The tie bars 365 are part of a lead frame, and areintegrally formed with leads for easy handling. The die 120 (FIG. 3A)(or the paddle 140 b in some embodiments) is attached to the tie bars365 to be maintained in place with respect to the lead frame 350, and ismolded within the encapsulation material 110 during manufacturing.

FIG. 3D is a bottom plan view of a partially fabricated QFN package 300without the encapsulation 110 and still with connections to strips forthe sake of explanation. After a singulation step during manufacturing,portions outside the dotted line 370 are removed, leaving only portionsinside the dotted line 370 in the package 300.

FIG. 3D shows the die 120, the wire bonds 125, the internal portions 354and exposed portions 352 of the leads, and the tie bars 365. The wirebonds 125 are arranged to connect the internal portions 354 of the leadsto contact pads 127 of the die 120. Unlike the exposed portions 352 ofthe leads, at least one of the internal portions 354 of the leads isoriented toward a respective one of the contact pads 127 to which it isconnected. Thus, the internal portions 354 of the leads do notnecessarily extend parallel to one another, as shown in FIG. 3D.Further, the internal portions 354 of the leads may have differentlengths, depending on the position.

In the illustrated embodiment, a plurality of leads is shown such thateach of the leads has a first end 353 a and a second end 353 b. Thefirst ends 353 a of the plurality of leads are aligned with one anotheralong an imaginary line. Each of the leads includes a first portion 352(which forms an exposed portion after encapsulation) extending from thefirst end 353 a of the lead, and a second portion 354 (which forms aninternal portion 352 after encapsulation) extending from part of thefirst portion 352 to the second end 353 b of the lead. The first portion352 has a first thickness, and the second portion 354 has a secondthickness thinner than the first thickness. The first portions 352 ofthe leads have variable lengths.

As shown in FIG. 3D, there is a limited space for the leads 352, 354 ator near the corners of the package 300 due in part to the existence ofthe tie bars 365 and the proximity of leads from the neighboring edge.While the longer the exposed portions 352 is, the better the solderjoint reliability of the package 300 is, the third group 352 c of leadscan only have a length that can be accommodated by the limited spacenear the corners. The leads 352, 354 should not interfere with wirebonding. Thus, the third length L3 can be a maximum length that can beallowed by the space at or near the corners, and can be shorter than thefirst and second lengths L1, L2. A skilled artisan will appreciate thatthe first to third lengths L1-L3 can vary widely, depending on thedimensions and internal configuration of the package.

As described above, the lengths of the exposed portions 352 of the leadsdetermine the contact area of solder joints. While the lengths L3 of theexposed portions near the corners are limited, the lengths L1, L2 of theother exposed portions can be made longer (to their maximum allowedlengths) than those at or near the corners to enhance solder jointreliability. Further, this configuration enhances solder jointreliability between the leads and PCB pads without necessarily changingother design factors (including the design of a PCB to which the packageis attached), which allows easy adoption. Thus, despite the paddle-updesign in which the paddle cannot contribute to bonding surface formounting the package, good adhesion can be obtained.

Referring to FIGS. 4A and 4B, another embodiment of a QFN package with apaddle-up configuration will be described below. FIG. 4A is a bottomplan view of the QFN package 400. In the illustrated embodiment, theexposed portions 452 of leads are grouped to have different lengths, asdescribed above in connection with FIG. 3B. Thus, details of the exposedportions 452 can be as described above with respect to FIG. 3B.

In addition to the exposed portions 452 of different lengths, thepackage 400 further includes tie bars 465 (FIG. 4B), portions of whichare exposed through the bottom of the package 400. Such exposed portions465 a of the tie bars 465 are positioned at the corners of the bottom ofthe package 400. The exposed portions 465 a of the tie bars 465 can alsobe referred to as “dummy pads” in the context of this document. As shownin FIG. 4B, the tie bars 465 can also be connected through theencapsulation 110 to the thermal paddle 140 b exposed through the topsurface of the package 400.

When the package 400 is fixed to a PCB or other electrical interface,solder joints can be provided between the exposed portions 452 of theleads and the PCB, and further between the dummy pads 465 a of the tiebars 465 and the PCB. Thus, the solder joints contacting the leads 452can share stresses with those contacting the tie bars 465, and thussolder joint reliability can be further improved in combination with thedifferent lead lengths.

Referring to FIG. 5, yet another embodiment of a QFN package with apaddle-down configuration will be described below. FIG. 5 is a bottomplan view of the QFN package 500. In the illustrated embodiment, thebottom of the QFN package 500 includes an exposed portion of a thermalpaddle 140 a, exposed lead portions 552 with different lengths, anddummy pads 565 a of tie bars. Details of the QFN package 500 can be asdescribed above in connection with FIGS. 4A and 4B except that the QFNpackage 500 has a paddle-down configuration as in the package 100 ofFIG. 1.

In another embodiment, a QFN package having a paddle-down configurationcan have leads having exposed portions of different lengths, asdescribed above in connection with FIGS. 3A-3D without exposed tie bars.

Referring to FIG. 6, a recessed or hidden paddle lead frame chip scalepackage (LFCSP) with a paddle-down configuration according to anotherembodiment will be described below. The illustrated package 600 includesan encapsulation 610, a die 620, bond wires 625, an adhesive 630, athermal paddle 640, and a lead frame 650. The package 600 is shownattached to a printed circuit board (PCB) 180 using solder joints 160,162. Unlike the packages 300, 400, 500, shown in FIGS. 3A-5, the thermalpaddle 640 of the package 600 is embedded within the encapsulation withno exposure to outside the package 600.

In one embodiment, the bottom of the package 600 can be substantiallythe same as that of the package 300 of FIG. 3B. In other words, thebottom of the package 600 includes exposed lead portions with differentlengths. In another embodiment, the bottom of the package 600 can besubstantially the same as that of the package 400 of FIG. 4A, and thushas dummy pads of tie bars. Other details of the package 600 can be asdescribed above with respect to the QFN package 100 with a paddle-downconfiguration of FIG. 1.

The configurations described in the above embodiments can provideimproved solder joint reliability by increasing surface contact area forsolder joints for a given package and lead frame configuration. Inaddition to countering thermomechanical stresses, the configurations canalso improve board level mechanical robustness in the solder joints,such as resistance to drop, shock, vibration, pressure, and/or torque,by reducing mechanical stress in the solder joints. Further, theconfigurations of the embodiments can be formed without substantialmodifications to the conventional lead frame technology for QFNpackages.

EXAMPLES

A package having the configuration of the package 400 of FIGS. 4A and 4B(hereinafter, “Example 1”) and a conventional JEDEC design package(hereinafter, “Comparative Example”) were actually tested for solderjoint reliability. Each of the Example 1 and the Comparative Example wasan 84-lead inverted QFN package having a size of 10 mm×10 mm×0.85 mm.The package of Example 1 was found to have an improved solder jointreliability at least 2 times greater than that of the ComparativeExample. In the test, the package of the Comparative Example had anexpected life of less than 10 years whereas the package of the Example 1had an expected life of at least 25 years.

Simulated Examples

A first package having the configuration of the package 300 of FIGS.3A-3D (hereinafter, “Example A”), a second package having theconfiguration of the package 400 of FIGS. 4A and 4B (hereinafter,“Example B”), and a conventional JEDEC design package (hereinafter,“Comparative Example C”) were modelled by simulation. The Examples A andB had exposed lead portions of different lengths, where the first lengthL1 was 0.825 mm, the second length L2 was 0.6 mm, and the third lengthL3 was 0.5 mm. The Comparative Example C had leads of the same exposedlead portion length of 0.5 mm.

The Examples A and B, and the Comparative Example C were subjected to asimulated accelerated environment at a temperature between about −40° C.and about 125° C. with 90 minutes per cycle and 30 minutes dwell time,and 15 minutes ramp time. A PCB used in the test had a thickness ofabout 3.6 mm. The Comparative Example C had its first failure after 260cycles from the simulation. The Example A had its first failure after361 cycles from the simulation. The Example B had its first failureafter 407 cycles from the simulation.

Applications

The embodiments described above can be adapted for various types ofintegrated circuit packages, including, but not limited to: a LeadlessChip Carrier (LCC), and sawn and punched types of QFNs.

Further, the configurations and principles of the embodiments can beadapted for other applications, including, but not limited to,microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) device packaging. In an embodimentin which a MEMS package includes leads of different lengths, the lengthsof the leads can be tuned to shift the resonant frequency of the packageto be different from the operational frequency of MEMS elements insidethe package. Such a configuration can enhance the solder jointreliability of the package.

Packages employing the above described configurations can be used forvarious electronic devices. Examples of the electronic devices caninclude, but are not limited to, consumer electronic products, parts ofthe consumer electronic products, electronic test equipments, etc. Theconsumer electronic products can include, but are not limited to, amobile phone, cellular base stations, a telephone, a television, acomputer monitor, a computer, a hand-held computer, a netbook, a tabletcomputer, a digital book, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a stereosystem, a cassette recorder or player, a DVD player, a CD player, a VCR,a DVR, an MP3 player, a radio, a camcorder, a camera, a digital camera,a portable memory chip, a copier, a facsimile machine, a scanner, amulti functional peripheral device, a wrist watch, a clock, etc.Further, the electronic device can include unfinished products.

The foregoing description and claims may refer to elements or featuresas being “connected” or “coupled” together. As used herein, unlessexpressly stated otherwise, “connected” means that one element/featureis directly or indirectly connected to another element/feature, and notnecessarily mechanically. Likewise, unless expressly stated otherwise,“coupled” means that one element/feature is directly or indirectlycoupled to another element/feature, and not necessarily mechanically.Thus, although the various schematics shown in the figures depictexample arrangements of elements and components, additional interveningelements, devices, features, or components may be present in an actualembodiment (assuming that the functionality of the depicted circuits isnot adversely affected).

Although this invention has been described in terms of certainembodiments, other embodiments that are apparent to those of ordinaryskill in the art, including embodiments that do not provide all of thefeatures and advantages set forth herein, are also within the scope ofthis invention. Moreover, the various embodiments described above can becombined to provide further embodiments. In addition, certain featuresshown in the context of one embodiment can be incorporated into otherembodiments as well. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention isdefined only by reference to the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A die package comprising: an encapsulation havinga top surface and a bottom surface, the bottom surface facing away fromthe top surface; a die embedded in the encapsulation; and a leadframecomprising a plurality of leads, each of the leads including an outerportion distal from the die and an inner portion proximate the die, eachouter portion being exposed through the bottom surface of theencapsulation, wherein at least one of the outer portions positionedalong one edge of the die package has an exposed length different fromexposed lengths of other outer portions along the edge, and wherein aplurality of the leads along the edge have their inner portions angledinwardly towards the die relative to the outer portions of thecorresponding leads.
 2. The package of claim 1, wherein the bottom ofeach outer portion is flush with the bottom surface of theencapsulation.
 3. The package of claim 1, wherein the die comprises aplurality of contact pads, and wherein a plurality of the inner portionsare wire bonded to the contact pads of the die.
 4. The package of claim1, wherein the exposed length of each outer portion extendssubstantially perpendicular to the edge.
 5. The package of claim 1,wherein the edge of the die package includes a middle region and twocorner regions, and wherein inner portions near the corner regions areangled towards the die at angles greater than inner portions near themiddle region.
 6. The package of claim 1, wherein inner portions ofadjacent ones of the leads along the edge are not parallel.
 7. Thepackage of claim 1, wherein inner portions of adjacent ones of the leadsalong the edge have different lengths.
 8. The package of claim 7,wherein the inner portion of a first one of the adjacent leads is near acorner region of the edge, wherein the inner portion of a second one ofthe adjacent leads is closer to a middle region of the edge, and whereina length of the inner portion of the first one is greater than a lengthof the inner portion of the second one.
 9. The package of claim 1,wherein each inner portion is embedded in the encapsulation such thatthe encapsulation covers a top surface and a bottom surface of each ofthe inner portions.
 10. The package of claim 9, wherein each innerportion has a thickness thinner than a thickness of the correspondingouter portion.
 11. The package of claim 9, wherein the die is mounted ona thermal paddle exposed through the top surface of the encapsulation,and wherein wire bonds connect the die to bottom surfaces of the innerportions of a plurality of the leads.
 12. The package of claim 1,wherein the outer portions of the leads positioned along the edge aregrouped into a plurality of groups such that outer portions in the samegroup have the same length as one another, and the length of the outerportions in one group are different from the length of the outerportions in a different group.
 13. The package of claim 1, furthercomprising a thermal paddle attached to the die and exposed through thetop surface.
 14. The package of claim 1, further comprising a thermalpaddle attached to the die and exposed through the bottom surface. 15.The package of claim 1, wherein the die package comprises a quad flat nolead (QFN) package.
 16. The package of claim 1, wherein the diecomprises an integrated circuit or a microelectromechanical systems(MEMS) device within the encapsulation.
 17. A lead frame for a diepackage, comprising: a die paddle; and a plurality of leads, each ofwhich has an outer portion and an inner portion, wherein the outerportions of the leads are aligned with one another, wherein at least oneof the inner portions is angled towards the die paddle relative to theouter portion of the corresponding lead, and wherein at least one of theouter portions of the leads has a length different from the lengths ofthe outer portions of others of the leads.
 18. The lead frame of claim17, wherein the outer portions have a first thickness and the innerportions have a second thickness thinner than the first thickness, andwherein the inner portions are recessed from a bottom surface of theouter portions.
 19. The lead frame of claim 17, wherein a length of atleast one inner portion is different from a length of another innerportion.